Dear students,
Football captivated and continues to captivate millions – regardless of age, gender, level of education and social background. The sociologist Gerd Hortleder once said that in football the values of industrialized societies are copied and at the same time questioned. Its basic principles include performance, objectivity and discipline, but sometimes a game only becomes dramatic when these values begin to falter at the same time. When the idolized star has a bad day, the players pay absolutely no attention to their coach's tactical instructions. The coach is today hailed as an unrestricted authority (“my tactical concept worked completely today”) and was dismissed without notice a week later. The home team is cheered on frenetically and mocked mercilessly in the same game, as an object of identification and aggression in one. Social ideals are copied and rejected at the same time in the football stadium. A central role in this interplay is played by fans who want to help their team succeed with passionate dedication, sacrifice, team and group spirit.
These are qualities that are also useful for successful studies: If you study with passion and also look out for the person next to you, you will not only reach your goal better and faster, but you will also have a great time doing it.
But this passion can also lead to unbridled fanaticism, as violent clashes between fans show us again and again. It is therefore important to maintain the balance between tension and relaxation, it is important to keep the affect balance in balance. Excessive ambition and zeal can reverse the positive effects of passion and group spirit. ennoch: We need this interplay of tension and relaxation, of 'jubilant to heaven' and 'sad to death'.
The sociologist Norbert Elias rightly writes that tension and relaxation in football games is a particularly successful example of a psychosocial pattern in our lives. As an answer to a very basic human need, it deserves to be taken seriously.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Gunter A. Pilz
Head of the competence group 'Fan Cultures & Sports-Related Social Work' (KoFaS)
Institute for Sports Science at the Leibniz University Hannover
“My whole family is crazy about football”
Dennis Grab (28) is captain of the German national team. No, no, Philipp Lahm did not resign. And no: we don’t mean national coach Joachim Löw’s team. Because there is a second national team: that of the students. Anyone who plays here still sits in lectures and writes homework away from the pitch. Training and playing are not regular, strikers and co. play in their home clubs during the year, but they usually get together in the run-up to football events - like the World Cup in Brazil - and travel with the team.
UNIGLOBALE: Dennis, what have you experienced as a student national team?
I've been here for three years now. During this time we have traveled a lot around the world. 2011 Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, 2012 Colombia and 2013 Brazil. We represent Germany, are ambassadors and experience things that you usually can't experience as a normal tourist. Like the Confederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro or receptions at the ambassadors of the respective country. We go to universities, play against university and national teams and get involved socially. For example, by going to favelas and playing football there with children and young people.
UNIGLOBALE: How long have you been playing football?
Ever since I was five or six. My whole family is crazy about football. My grandma played football, as did my grandpa, my father and my sister. I could barely walk when I already had a ball on my foot. Today I play as a central defender for the third division team SG Sonnenhof Großaspach.
UNIGLOBALE: What did you study? And how did you coordinate your studies and football?
I studied business administration and management in Heilbronn. I've been finished since March and now work at Daimler. We trained under professional conditions during our studies. This sometimes means up to twice a day. You learn a lot about time management, i.e. how to balance university and the playing field.
UNIGLOBALE: Studies and football: Have these two areas also had a positive influence?
What I took away from my studies: overcoming my inner weakness and thinking positively. That also got me very far in football. Never give up, even if there are defeats. Victories are coming again. What I learned from football is the team spirit. I often had to create and give presentations in groups for my marketing major. The ability to see myself as part of a team helped me a lot.
UNIGLOBALE: Finally: What is your tip? Who will win the World Cup?
I still think that Germany is a tournament team. But given the current situation with injured and not yet fully fit players, I would be happy if we reached the quarter-finals. Well, at most semi-finals. What should not be underestimated are the high temperatures and high humidity. This will be a big challenge for many European teams. We played in Bogota at the time, at an altitude of 3,000 meters. That was an extreme experience. After 20 minutes we were knocked out. No more air or strength.
That's why I believe a South American team - Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay - will win.
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Dear students, football captivated and continues to captivate millions - regardless of age, gender, level of education and social background. The sociologist Gerd Hortleder once said that in football the values of industrialized societies are copied and at the same time questioned. Its basic principles include performance, objectivity and discipline, but sometimes a game only becomes dramatic when
